Fred Vuich/USGA
Fred Vuich/USGA
Montclair Golf Club
Overview
Montclair Golf Club might be overlooked in the realm of great golf courses in the North Jersey area, but its history sets it apart. The club features 36 holes in four nine-hole loops—with 27 holes designed by Donald Ross in 1920 and nine holes built by Charles Banks in the late 1920s. Robert Trent Jones, a Montclair, N.J. resident, called the historic club his home base for a long time—and his son, Rees, grew up here—so the Joneses did their share of work at Montclair over the years. But the club tabbed Brian Schneider to reinvigorate the courses over the past few years—and the club was awarded with the 2026 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. In a crowded scene of great private clubs, Montclair has a new shine.
About
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Montclair is normally firm and fast; however, the fairways and greens were wet and soft despite not having any rain in the past month, definitely over watered by the maintenance staff. Many of the members are disappointed in the conditions and want the staff to return the course to its normal playing conditions."
Read More2026
Review
“Montclair Golf Club includes 36 holes, 27 designed by Donald Ross in 1922 and an additional nine added in 1928 by Charles Banks. The golf course located in West Orange, New Jersey is a challenging layout with significant elevation changes throughout the courses. In general, the course plays longer than its listed distances due to the number of holes that play uphill. The course is set up for all levels of play as it has five tee boxes. In general tee shots are to fairly wide fairways that are well conditioned. At times, strategically placed fairway bunkers come into play on a few of the holes. Second shots place importance on distance control as many of the shots have significant elevation changes. Further, bunkers protecting the greens insist that the golfer fly the green on many approach shots. The greens run true with subtle undulations and are relatively fast and well-conditioned. Overall, Montclair Golf Club is a challenging layout for levels of golfers. The very significant elevation changes puts a premium on calculating distances to the pin. To score well, the golfer must focus on each and every shot as the strategic bunkering and elevation changes can quickly sidetrack the round."
Read More2025
